Some players still played without helmets, the two-line pass was illegal, animated robots accompanied broadcasts, and yes, for a brief moment, the puck looked like it could be radioactive.

None of that today is the case, but it sounds like that could change.

No, helmets aren’t going anywhere and there are no major rule changes on the horizon but the glow puck might be making a comeback. At the very least, broadcast enhancements are on the way for hockey fans.

Bettman ticked off the list of innovations for television broadcast has had a hand in like bringing announcers inside the glass with NBC. When Bettman got to the glow puck, which made its debut in the 1996 NHL All-Star Game and was used on Fox Sports telecasts until the end of the 1997-98 season, he hinted at new technologies on the horizon but wouldn’t go into detail.

“While it was the subject of much discussion, and some derision in 1996, the technology of Fox Sports’ glowing puck was the precursor of the first outline that has become standard practice for any football broadcast and a number of other innovations,” Bettman said in his six-minute speech. “Actually, we are working on dramatically updated versions of that technology and we have plans to roll out updated player and puck tracking.”

For those who don’t remember the glow puck, infrared transmitters were imbedded inside the puck and along with sensors placed around the rink, allowed for the puck to appear with a blue glow to television viewers as it moved around the rink. When the puck traveled more than 70 mph, the glow would turn red and a comet-like tail would be seen.

Footage from the All-Star game where the puck tracking system was first introduced by Fox Sports. The color of the streak indicates speed: red is faster than blue. (Video is courte ...

Footage from the All-Star game where the puck tracking system was first introduced by Fox Sports. The color of the streak indicates speed: red is faster than blue. (Video is courte ...

While my seven-year-old self loved it, the majority of viewers hated the enhancements put in place to help viewers track the puck. When the broadcast rights for the NHL went to ABC, the glow puck died.

As Bettman noted, the technology developed and used in the glow puck eventually led to the creation of broadcast advancements and enhancements in other sports like the NFL (yellow first down line), MLB (PitchTrax/ K-zone) and NASCAR.

There’s definitely room for improvement as far as player and puck tracking go on hockey broadcasts. Whether the NHL brings back an updated glow puck, and whether that would be received by fans better 20 years later, remains to be seen.